It has taken me three days to recover from the EPI Conference that took place at the Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida. The conference was designed to cover a HIPAA Security Bootcamp, a networking event and the actual topics for the conference. There was so much going on that I will not try to cover everything but simply provide a brief after action report.
HIPAA Security Bootcamp. Intense may not be the right word to describe this EPI Conference event but it may be somewhat close. The event started at 8:30 AM sharp and didn’t finish until 5:30 PM. Participants did get short breaks between presentations but no respite during lunch as the same was provided by EPI Conference and the time was used to cover some of the HIPAA Security regulations. All in all, there were four knowledgeable speakers and every Standard and Specification of HIPAA Security was covered during the time allotted.
The Bootcamp was followed by a two-hour, 100 question certification test that some attendees took that same day and others waited until the next morning.
Meet the Speaker. A revolutionary idea that most participants referred to as “speed dating”. From 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM participants were matched with other participants, speakers and sponsors. Every 30 minutes the group changed, and new topics were covered. During this event there was a 30-minute lunch break, but other than that, the time never seemed to be enough to cover all the potential issues. On the other hand, there wasn’t a single attendee that didn’t get to make multiple contacts that they will pursue after the event.
Conference. EPI Conference provided two tracks of speakers that changed every hour on the hour. The speakers were eloquent, and the topics were relevant and interesting. There was no time to waste as the EPI Conference was moving like clockwork. They covered MACRA, Cannabis, telemedicine and many other topics of interest to the healthcare community.
Presentation of Compliance. During the conference day, Dr. Jose Delgado presented Dr. Tessy Goyenechea-Dieguez with the Certified HIPAA Security Business (CHSB) official certificate for Stat Medical as the first business to successfully undergo this process. The CHSB program is similar to the Joint Commission Accreditation program with the major difference that this program focuses on HIPAA Security requirements.
After the three days were over attendees were physically and mentally exhausted but relieved to know that finally there was a group of peers looking after them and providing answers and guidance that seem to be scarce in our day to day operations. The best part of it all is that there will be another EPI Conference next year! So, if you missed this one, make sure to mark your calendars so you do not miss another one.